Part 2 - The Detonator
by Madaboutagirl
Summary: Supergirl - A Series of Villains - Part 2 Someone is setting off bombs in National City and it's up to Kara Zor-El to find out who it is. Hank says it's not the DEO's jurisdiction, so she has to work with Maxwell Lord. Cat Grant isn't happy that Kara is anywhere near Max, but she won't discuss it. Thanks to DC/CBS for the characters. SuperCat - slow and angsty
1. Chapter 1

"How's it going at the office?" Alex asks as she and Kara spar. Kara doesn't have as many late nights now, so she and Alex have been able to spar regularly on Tuesday nights.

"Not too bad today, the new assistant has only cried twice so far," Kara says moving into position.

Alex blocks her and then manages to use Kara's momentum to throw her across the mat.

"Alex, you have to teach me that maneuver," Kara grumbles as she lays on her back.

"It's the same as the other one, but it's defensive. Kara, your main problem is that you are slow to put up your defenses. You always make the first move. Sometimes you have to dance around a little and get the other person to make the first move," Alex points out.

"Are we still talking about fighting?" Kara quips, before springing back to her feet.

"Hey, I know that I play things too close to the vest. But Kara you're the exact opposite, so let's both try to play more to the middle... I will if you will," Alex says holding her fist out for Kara to bump in agreement.

Kara bumps her fist, but then wraps her hand around Alex's, before twisting it up behind her and pinning her to the wall.

"Kara too much, too much, you're going to break my arm!" Alex grimaces in pain.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Kara blurts out releasing the hold, only to have Alex reverse it and shove Kara against the wall.

"I hate you," Kara mumbles into the wall.

* * *

"Kara," Cat says stepping into the open doorway. "Amy is crying again, go check on her please."

"Ms Grant, what did you say to Emily this time?" Kara asks standing up and coming around her desk.

"I may have been a tad too sarcastic, but in my defense, she should have thicker skin if she's going to be my assistant," Cat points out.

"Would it kill you to dial the sarcasm back to a seven? And she is tough, she came back on Monday after you fired her twice on Friday," Kara points out.

"Hmm, I suppose that I could try." Cat says cocking her head as she notices the paintings in Kara's office. There's a large landscape over the couch in the alcove. "This is interesting, where did you get it?"

"Uh, I painted it." Kara replies before rushing down the hall to check on Emily.

Returning to her office a few minutes later, she is surprised to find Cat still there. "Are all of these your work?" she asks.

"Yes, but if you think that it's unprofessional to have my own works in the office, I'll take them home," Kara answers nervously.

"Not at all. They are quite good, the technique that you use and the colors and shading are intriguing... Hmm, so this is what is floating about in that head of yours." Cat remarks raking her eyes over Kara.

Shutting the door to her office and stepping in beside Cat, Kara points to the larger piece. "This was the view out of my bedroom window on Krypton," she says softly. "I mostly captured the colors because that's what I miss most about home. On earth, I can only see the Krypton sky at sunrise and sunset," she explains.

Cat freezes, involuntarily she's holding her breath because Kara is so close to her that now she can feel the rise and fall of her breasts lightly against her arm. Slowly Cat pulls herself together before clearing her throat. "I trust that Amy will be at her desk by now," she remarks, subtly moving away from Kara.

"Yes, and try to be a little nicer or she may actually leave if you fire her today," Kara points out.

"Fine," Cat reluctantly agrees as she opens the door to leave, she pauses. "Kara, have Amy order us dinner... we have layouts tonight," Cat reminds her.

"Yes," Kara says looking up, but finding the doorway empty. Ever since they had dinner at Cat's and really talked, Kara can't help but be even more confused about her feelings for Cat Grant. With Emily as a buffer they don't spend as much time together, but now the time they do spend together is more intense. Despite everything Cat's said about the kiss being a momentary lapse, Kara is positive that there is more to it than that, but she's been taking Alex's advice and waiting for Cat to make the next move.

* * *

Cat sits at her desk carefully observing her new assistant, it's obvious that Kara is coddling her to get her to put up with all of Cat's idiosyncrasies, especially her proclivity to insult anyone and everyone when she's stressed. Which Cat knows is one of her worse traits and the one that caused her to fine Kara's breaking point. Which actually was the moment Cat knew that she needed to watch herself more closely around the girl. They went for drinks at Noonan's and Cat had one too many martinis and almost fell trying to get off the bar stool, when Kara caught her. Days later, Cat could still remember the feel of being in Kara's arms, she trembles now thinking about it. Groaning inwardly, she reminds herself to focus. It's way more important to mentor this exceptional girl, than to have a sexual liaison with her. Cat Grant refuses to sully Kara Danvers' reputation or reduce her to a footnote as another of Cat's conquests, tempting as it would be to have Supergirl on that list.

* * *

"Ms Grant, I just sent your schedule for tomorrow, is there anything else?" Emily asks hesitantly entering the office at the end of the day.

"No, that will be all," Cat replies frowning at the girl's back.

Kara walks in as Emily walks out and flashes her an encouraging smile. "Meet you at Noonan's first thing," Kara reminds her as they pass each other.

"Kara, surely she can handle picking up my latte in the morning without you holding her hand?" Cat asks irritatedly.

"And I thought we agreed that you wouldn't use that tone, Cat" Kara replies, taking full advantage of the new rule that she can use Cat's first name when they are one on one.

"I agreed that I wouldn't use it on Amy," Cat replies, a smile playing across her face.

"Her name is Emily," Kara corrects before stepping around to grab the layouts off the corner of Cat's desk.

"I know what her name is, I just don't care... yet," Cat quips sitting down on her couch.

The two women sit on their opposing couches, relishing the easy banter that's become a staple of their Wednesday night layout sessions.

"Pizzas are here, I'll be right back," Kara says when security messages her.

"Tell security to bring it up," Cat replies.

"Really? All this time, you've made me go down and get the food when security could just bring it up?" Kara asks annoyed.

Cat smirks and shimmies in her seat enjoying Kara's annoyed expression.

* * *

"Now look over these, I'm not seeing anything here that I like," Cat says tossing the sheet over for Kara to look at.

Picking it up, Kara looks over it, before getting up and coming over to sit beside Cat, "This one is good," she says pointing to one and looking up at Cat.

Kara can tell that Cat's heart is pounding and her sharp intake of breath when Kara sat down beside her, are both obvious signs of her attraction. And although Kara promised herself that she would not make the first move, she also decided not to make it easy on Cat.

"Oh, I must have missed that one." Cat says leaning forward her breasts almost touching Kara's arm.

Kara freezes and turns her head to look right into Cat's eyes.

Cat bites her lip and begins to lean forward, just inches from kissing Kara again.

"I'm on my way," Kara says sitting back. "There's been an explosion downtown, people are trapped," she explains, locking eyes with Cat for a moment.

"Well," Cat says leaning back, hiding her disappointment, "Up, up and away and all that..." she says waving her hand dismissively.

"I'm sorry," Kara says before rushing out through the bullpen to the roof.

* * *

"It was arson or a bomb, either way that was no accident," Alex explains as they review footage of the explosion.

"There's no sign of alien activity, this isn't anything for the DEO to look into," Hank says after patiently listening to Alex's review of Kara's rescue.

"Who would blow up the old civic center when it was already slated for demolition?" Kara asks.

"Someone who wanted to test something before they use it," Vasquez points out.

"How do we find out what his next target is?" Alex asks.

"We don't. We're not equipped for this type of investigation. But the NCPD will comb through the debris and find the clues that they need to identify him and hopefully they'll figure it out before he strikes again," Vasquez answers.

"That's not acceptable, I'm going out on patrol, I'm going to find this guy and stop him," Kara says stalking off.

* * *

The next few days are tense at work. Cat is now being nice to Emily and snapping at Kara, which Kara knows is only because Cat is hurt that Kara didn't come back that night after the explosion.

"The police don't seem to know anything about this bomber," Cat says entering Kara's office and closing the door. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're either avoiding me... again... or you're working on it."

"I'm not avoiding you, but I am giving you space. We can't have you experiencing another lapse of judgement," Kara retorts sarcastically.

"Hmm, sarcasm as stress relief," Cat notes not reacting to the provocation. "Just promise me that you're being careful, I know that you are somewhat invincible, but let's not push that to find out how much," she replies before slipping back out the door.

Kara sighs. She is stressed. Two days have passed and no one knows who or what this bomber's next target will be. Kara's reached out to the local task force to offer her assistance, but they found nothing in the debris to indicate what caused the explosion except a strange residue that they've been unable to identify.

* * *

"The residue is from a chemical agent called 27-QRX, it's from the 40's. It was developed in a government lab in the 1940's, highly unstable and as far as I know it doesn't exist in chemical form," Maxwell Lord explains to the task force.

"How do we track down whoever is using it?" Joe Morris, the Chief of Police asks.

"Chief Morris, I have my best team on it and they're working around the clock. But this is a highly dangerous substance," Max reiterates. "I'm putting my people at risk just working on this," he adds.

"Just keep us posted Mr Lord, thanks for your help," Morris says shaking his hand and leaving the room.

Supergirl waits for everyone to leave the room before approaching Lord.

"Are there any markers that I can look for while I am patrolling the city?" she asks him.

"Whoever this is, has to be in an isolated area. He'd be insane to be handling an unstable chemical like this in a populated area," Max replies.

* * *

"Cat, I'm heading out now, I just met with Maxwell Lord and he gave me some ideas on how to find this guy," Kara explains sitting down beside her on the patio.

"Maxwell Lord is involved?" Cat questions worriedly.

"The NCPD used his lab to help identify a residue from the bomb site, it's an old chemical agent from the 1940's, but I can't tell you any more than that, so please don't ask," Kara says looking away from her.

"Max only helps people when there is something in it for him, just remember that," Cat says sharply. "And beneath that somewhat charming exterior lies a man is used to getting what he wants. And he's not afraid to take it if necessary"

* * *

Out on patrol that night, Kara finds a suspicious property well off the grid. She notices several wind turbines which seem to be the only source of power to the property as it's 25 miles from the nearest road. And the land is pocked with depressions that mostly are a result of concussive force. Scanning the property she sees nobody around so she lands and begins to check it out. Pulling her cell phone out of her boot to call Alex, she realizes that she has no signal. A few minutes later she hears a loud groan of metal moving and then she hears the heartbeat, there's someone here after all.

"What are you doing on my property?" The man bellows from the entrance to an underground bunker, then realizing that it's Supergirl, he rushes back down and managing to close the door behind him and secure it.

Kara rushes over to it and is about to wrench it open, when she remembers Maxwell Lord saying how unstable the chemical is. So instead she takes off for the city and calls Alex. "Look, I think I found this guy, but he's out in the middle of nowhere in a lead lined bunker," Kara explains giving her the rough coordinates for the property.

"We're shifting the satellites now so we can get a look at it," Alex replies leaning over to relay the coordinates to Vasquez.

"Okay, I'm coming in so we can put a plan together. See you soon," Kara says ending the call.

* * *

"The property belongs to Roger Lincoln, his grandfather was the chemist Rory Lincoln and he developed 27-QRX in the 1940's to fight the Nazis," Alex explains when Kara returns to the DEO.

"The guy I saw was maybe in his 50's," Kara remarks.

"Okay, so that fits. Roger Lincoln was born in the 60's," Alex notes. "But here's where it gets weird. Roger Lincoln was killed in an explosion twenty years ago. It seems that he found his grandfather's notes and decided to tinker with the chemical components to try to stabilize it and redeem his grandfather's name. But he blew up the lab he was using and although his body was never found, it was assumed that he was killed in the explosion."

"Any clue as to what he's planning?" Kara asks.

"Recently a prominent lab in National City filed a new patent request for a compound quite similar to 27-QRX, naming it 28-QRZ," Vasquez replies.

"Maxwell Lord," Kara says throwing her hands up. "Why am I not surprised? No wonder he volunteered his services to help the NCPD investigate the bombing and was able to identify the bomb residue so quickly," she adds.

"He's probably the target then," Vasquez remarks.

"That's just great because his lab is full of both compounds, if it blows up it will take most of National City with it," Kara points out.

"We need to let Lord know, he's a target," Alex replies turning back around to find Kara gone.

"I hate it when she does that," Vasquez remarks.


	2. Chapter 2

She feels it before she hears it. The explosion almost knocks Supergirl out of the sky. Taking a moment to shake it off, she lands carefully, visibility is almost zero from the thick clouds of smoke and debris. Using her x-ray vision she begins searching the debris to find people. Not sure what the building was, she calls Alex back and gives her the location.

"It was an old factory, five stories, concrete levels. It hasn't been used in years. Is anyone hurt?" Alex asks.

"I haven't found anyone yet, but I'm still checking," she replies.

Alex turns to Vasquez, "Pull up the satellite feed, please."

On the screen they watch Supergirl carefully picking through the rubble as firetrucks and police roar up to the scene.

"Agent Danvers, the arena he exploded, but he took this building down with an implosion," Vasquez points out.

"He's practicing," Alex says running a worried hand through her hair.

* * *

"Supergirl, what a surprise," Max says when she drops in on the balcony of his penthouse. "The least that you could do is clean up a bit before dropping by someone's home," he chides.

Brushing off a bit of the debris, Supergirl replies, "Sorry, there was another explosion, an abandoned factory and that's why I need to talk to you."

The woman at the table gasps and turns around, "Supergirl, was anyone hurt?" the blonde asks.

"I believe you know, Cat Grant," Max smirks.

Kara almost gasps out loud, the sight of Cat in a little black cocktail dress sitting here with Maxwell Lord of all people took her breath away for a moment.

"Uh, no Ms Grant, no one was hurt this time. And I apologize for interrupting your date, but something's come up and I need to discuss it with Mr Lord," Supergirl says trying not to stammer and maintaining eye contact with Maxwell Lord.

"No it's fine. I only stopped by to discuss another matter with him, and this was not a date," she says pointedly at Max. "Been there, done that," Cat adds glaring at him, before stealing another look at Kara to make sure that she's alright.

"Let me walk you out," Max says taking Cat's arm, but she jerks it away from him.

Kara watches them go, silently fuming. What the hell is Cat doing here after warning me to stay away from Maxwell Lord, Kara wonders.

"Okay, now what is it that we need to discuss?" He says returning to the balcony and picking up his wine glass, calmly taking a sip.

"Care to explain why you just filed a patent for 28-QRZ?" Kara asks.

"Lord Technology files hundreds of patents Supergirl," he says smugly.

"So it's just a coincidence that this patent is for a chemical compound similar to 27-QRX, which just happens to be the compound that someone is using to blow up buildings in National City," she points out.

"You obviously have no idea how rigorously my employees are screened if you think there is a chance that there is a mad bomber on my payroll," he counters.

"What is your connection to Roger Lincoln?," Kara answers.

"I knew him in college, but Roger Lincoln was killed 25 years ago when he blew up his lab trying to reformulate 27-QRX to salvage his family's name," Max replies. "He's dead and his brother was seriously injured in the explosion. I've tinkered with this chemical compound for years and just recently figured out how to stabilize it. That's why I filed the patent," he explains.

* * *

"Hank, I know that it's out of our jurisdiction but Maxwell Lord is involved," Alex is arguing with the DEO director again over how much she can do in support of Supergirl.

"Look, go talk to him. Help her understand how to handle this stuff, but don't get in the way of the local police. Detective Holly Parker has been a good friend to this agency, even though she doesn't really know who we are, so don't do anything to ruin it Agent Danvers," Hank cautions.

"I swear, I'm just going to meet Supergirl at Lord's lab and we're going to talk about how to contain or deactivate the chemical bombs," Alex replies. "I'll be back in a few hours," she adds rushing out the door.

* * *

"No, this chemical is too unstable to transport, it is basically a chemical bomb as soon as it's made," Max points out.

"Okay, then explain to me, if it's so unstable, how does this guy travel 25 miles over rough terrain just to get to a surface road without blowing up?" Alex asks.

"He would have to use fibro-wax containers," he answers. "That's what they used back in the forties but they're hard to find because they're not really used that much today."

"So he makes a chemical bomb using a fibro-wax container... he doesn't even need a detonator, all he has to do is set it out in the sun and when the wax melts... kaboom," Alex points out.

"He's got this stuff in an underground lead bunker, can't we move everything in your lab?" Kara asks. "There are old unused bunkers out by the DEO," she adds.

"Supergirl, I'm not moving my lab to some underground government bunker lined with lead," Max replies. "Look, I have top notch security, there's no way this guy is going to get a bomb inside my building," he says smugly.

"If the chemical is that unstable, he doesn't have to Max. He just has to get within a few miles and the explosion will take your lab out," Alex points out.

* * *

Flying another patrol over the city, Supergirl is focusing on abandoned buildings scanning them for bombs, when she notices something suspicious in one of the buildings. Landing softly, she enters the building carefully and finds an unusual box sitting under a lamp surrounded by melting wax. Realizing that this could be a Fibro-wax box that Maxwell Lord told her about, she removes the lamp and then uses her freeze breath to coat the box with ice. Scanning the rest of the building, she finds three more boxes each with the wax intact, but she freezes them with ice just to be safe. Satisfied that the bombs are contained for the moment, she calls Alex.

"I just found the next target," she says when Alex answers. "I froze the bombs into blocks of ice to keep them stable until I can dispose of them."

"Supergirl, you shouldn't move them, it's too dangerous," Alex retorts. "And you don't know how much explosive is in each container," she adds.

"Considering that this is a ten-story building, I'm guessing they each contain a lot of explosives," she replies. "I'll fly them up into the atmosphere and fling them into space one at a time," Supergirl explains," I'll let you know when I'm done."

Alex swears softly when she hears the comms click off.

"Supergirl's got this Danvers," Vasquez says clapping her superior on the shoulder.

* * *

"Is there anyway that we can use thermal imaging to search for these bombs via the satellite feed?" Alex asks suddenly.

Vasquez considers the request and then types in the coordinates for Lord's lab and then expands the view to look over the buildings in the area. "What if we identify the most likely targets for the bomber to use and then forward that information to the local officials to lock down access to those buildings," she suggests.

"Okay, that could work, but let's wait until Supergirl has disposed of the four bombs," Alex says watching her sister fly off with the first one.

A few minutes later Supergirl returns and grabs the second bomb and takes off with it. Alex looks a little relieved, but then they see a flash and Supergirl flies through the air out of control and slams into a building.

"Let's go," Alex says immediately jumping up to head out.

"Agent Danvers," Hank booms from behind her.

"Director, Supergirl is in trouble," Alex says nodding at the satellite feed. "We should be out there supporting her!"

"Agent Danvers, this isn't paranormal or alien in nature. The DEO has no jurisdiction here," he reminds her.

"Supergirl is our asset and she needs our support and assistance," Alex argues.

"You and Vasquez can continue to support and assist Supergirl from here," he says firmly. "Besides, she's fine," he adds pointing to where Supergirl is taking off with the next bomb under her arm.

* * *

"Maybe a lead box would contain the bombs until I can get them up into the atmosphere," Kara remarks to Alex and Vasquez.

"That is what the bomb squads use," Vasquez points out.

Was there anything different about the second bomb?" Alex asks.

"The bomb that exploded was the one that was used as the detonator, the wax was melted and it exploded as soon as I got it up into the outer atmosphere."

"Wait you were that far up with it," Alex blurts out.

"The force of the bomb knocked me out for a minute and I fell into a freefall. I was just getting control when I hit the building," Kara admits.

"Why didn't you just land in the ocean?" Vasquez asks.

"Sharks," Alex and Kara say together.

"You fought off Reactron and Red Tornado, but you're afraid of sharks?" Vasquez questions with a small laugh.

"Hey, have you seen those teeth?" Kara asks.

"She's always hated sharks and Sharknado didn't help," Alex explains.

"Okay, so we've identified the following buildings as potential targets for the bomber," Vasquez says turning back to the screen still shaking her head in disbelief. "And we sent them to NCPD and recommended that they secure them," she adds.

"I should go scan them," Kara says standing back up.

"Supergirl, you need to rest for a few hours. I'll set up the sunbed for you," Alex suggests as Kara's phone begins to ring.

Looking at the caller ID, Kara says, "I need to take this," before leaving the room.

"I just saw footage of you being flung into a building, are you okay?" Cat asks concerned..

"I'm fine. The bomb just went off before I could fling it into space," Kara explains before adding, "Off the record."

"Relax, local police have already released that information," Cat remarks. "And you failed to mention that you were flying over the first bomb that went off today, so that is twice today that you were blown up" she points out.

"I've been hit by worse Cat. And I still need to go back out to look for more bombs, but Alex wants me lie down in the sunbed to recharge first," Kara complains.

"I agree with Alex, " Cat replies, almost choking on everything that she wants to say.

They both pause awkwardly neither sure of how to end the call, until finally Cat says, "Rest well Supergirl."

* * *

"Kara, wake up," Alex says softly shaking her shoulder and lifting the lid on the bed.

"I'm awake. What's going on?" Kara says sitting up slowly and getting her bearings.

"The police found more bombs. The bomb squad has secured the buildings and removed the detonators, but they want you to remove the bombs," Alex explains.

"Okay," Kara says swinging her legs over the sunbed and standing up.

"Have breakfast first," Alex says smiling and handing her a box of donuts.

"Awesome," Kara says grabbing one and scarfing it down.


	3. Chapter 3

"The local police just cordoned off a five mile perimeter around my lab and they won't let anyone in or out" Max says angrily into the phone.

"Really?" Alex replies, feigning surprise as she repeats what Max just told her and gives Vasquez a fist bump. They emailed an entire dossier on the Lincoln family to Chief Morris anonymously.

"And since they seem to think that a guy who's been dead for twenty-five years is behind the bombings, I am positive that you are behind this Agent Danvers," he adds.

"Max, you know that this is outside of our jurisdiction," Alex reminds him.

"Right because your organization never oversteps," he replies sarcastically. "Look Danvers, I know that you are working with Supergirl on this case. But there's no way the bomber is Roger Lincoln, I knew him and he wouldn't do this, even if he was alive," Max protests.

"Supergirl found a compound out in the desert and we tracked it down to the Lincoln family, if it's not Roger Lincoln, then who is it?" Alex questions.

"It's probably his brother, Raymond," Max replies. "Raymond survived the blast but then disappeared."

* * *

"All clear here," Supergirl says clicking on her coms. "The lead box from the bomb squad did help to stabilize them so I didn't get blown up this time," she remarks happily.

"Good. Now I just spoke to Maxwell Lord and he thinks the bomber is Raymond Lincoln, Roger's older brother," Alex replies. "Apparently he was seriously injured in the blast that killed his brother, but no one has seen him in years," she explains.

"Well, I should go back out there and check on him to make sure that he's still there and not setting out more bombs," Supergirl points out.

"Don't get too close, he knows that you found the compound. He could have set a trap for you," Alex counters.

* * *

"I know that the Detonator wants to take out your lab, but I'm surprised that you would come to CATCO to be safe," Cat quips when Max enters her office.

"You know Cat, I've always admired you," Max says crossing the room and stopping just short of her desk. "Which is why I am shocked that you would consider running a story based on supposition and innuendo from a shady government agency that has been trying to shut me down for years," he replies sitting down on one of the couches away from her desk.

"I have no idea what shady government agency you are referring too. My source from NCPD is quite reliable," Cat says smugly from her desk.

"Morris isn't reliable, he was spoon-fed a dossier on the Lincoln family from an unconfirmed source and he did zero investigation," Max points out. "He was probably counting on you to do all the leg work," he adds.

"Morris isn't the source," Cat replies. Then flashing a smile at someone else, she steps around her desk to welcome the other visitor. "Max have you met Detective Holly Parker from the NCPD task force?" she asks sweetly.

"Maxwell Lord, you are as handsome as ever," Detective Parker says extending her hand for him to shake.

Standing up, Max takes her hand and replies,"I'm sorry but I don't believe that we've met before."

Pulling her hand back out of his grip, she steps back closer to Cat and answers, "We met at the NCPD Gala a few years ago, you are quite the dancer."

"Well, I'm sorry that I don't remember you, but dancing with beautiful women is one of the main perks for attending those galas," he remarks with a smile, before turning to wink at Cat.

Cat ignores him and clears her throat before walking over to her side bar to get a glass of water.

Holly smiles, she knows the history between Cat and Max. And she also knows that is her cue to take over the conversation.

"Mr Lord, it's true that we received information from an unverified source, but when we reviewed it and the information about the desert compound provided by Supergirl, we were able to determine that Raymond Lincoln, whom no one has seen in twenty-five years, is the most likely person behind the bombings," she explains.

"Raymond Lincoln was seriously injured in the blast that killed his brother, how could he possibly be behind these bombings?" Max asks.

"We're assuming that he has a team helping him because he's been living off the grid in the desert for years," she points out.

"I hope that you are not planning to send anyone out there to his place, it could be a trap. He's a chemist and he and his brother spent years trying to stabilize 27-QRX to salvage their grandfather's reputation," Max explains. "Unfortunately, I beat him to it and obviously he's upset about that, but I had no idea that the guy was still alive."

"Mr Lord, you are saying that you believe that your patent for 28-QRZ is what motivated this guy to start bombing National City?" Detective Parker asks.

"Yes and obviously, he's just practicing blowing up random buildings before he tries to take out my lab," Max replies. "Detective, I have top notch security at my facility, but if he gets a bomb within five miles of my lab, he could trigger an explosion that would not only take out my lab but it would also take out most of National City," Max points out.

* * *

Landing softly outside of the DEO, Supergirl enters the building to find Alex and Vasquez pouring over satellite images.

"Supergirl, what did you find at the compound in the desert?" Alex asks.

"He has an underground tunnel out to a main road, it's about 18 miles long. I think that is how he gets in and out of the compound unseen," she explains. "And for someone living off the grid, he has a lot of technology at his disposal."

"I bet that he has hacked into a satellite feed," Alex says thoughtfully.

"I'll see what I can find," Vasquez says going to her computer. "There can't be that many signals out there," she adds.

Supergirl removes her earpiece and hands it to Alex. "Okay, well let's get this switched out. I want to get back out there and find this guy," she states seriously.

"Take this. It's set up on a satellite network, so it will work remotely anywhere," Alex says handing her the earpiece and taking another small device and attaching it to Kara's suit, just under her cape.

"What is that for?" Supergirl asks.

"It's a geo tracking device. I want to be able to locate you just in case anything happens," Alex replies, frowning with concern.

* * *

Cat is still at her office several hours after Detective Parker and Maxwell Lord left together. The story that she has been working on all afternoon no longer making any sense to her, she decides to take a break. Pouring herself a glass of scotch she heads out to the balcony to relax, which isn't easy, since she hasn't heard from Kara since their early morning call and she's been watching the girl remove bombs all afternoon.

Hearing the familiar snap of a cape in the wind, Cat looks up to see Kara hovering above her.

"Supergirl," she says softly watching the hero slowly descend to the balcony, the sight of which never fails to send a tremor through her body, although this time the response is quelled by the frown on the girl's face.

"I'm glad to see you still in one piece, the Detonator has kept you busy all day," Cat notes, still casually leaning against the wall, her drink in her hand.

"Cat, the city isn't safe. You should go out to your beach house and stay far away from Max Lord and National City this weekend," Kara begs.

"In the two years that you've known me, how many times have you seen me run and hide from a dicey situation?" Cat asks sauntering past her to freshen up her drink.

Returning to the balcony, Cat pauses in front of her and firmly states, "Cat Grant does not run and she does not hide. In fact, the police have already identified the man and it's just a matter of time before they have him contained."

The hero turns away from Cat for a moment, before abruptly turning back around, "What I am about to tell you is totally off the record," she says waiting for Cat to agree.

Cat smirks and takes a sip of her drink. Confident that Kara's not going to tell her anything that she doesn't already know.

"Kara, I spent the morning with Detective Parker and I've been researching and analyzing this story all day. I probably know as much about it as you do," she points out.

Shaking her head, Supergirl says,"Cat, did Parker tell you that this man is targeting Lord's lab with a chemical bomb that is so unstable that he only needs to plant it in the sun within a five mile radius of the lab?" she asks.

Cat swallows nervously, "Max mentioned something to that effect, but I just thought he was just being dramatic," Cat replies.

"Cat, this is serious. Maxwell Lord's lab is currently analyzing this chemical, so if it is hit with a bomb right now, the whole city could be leveled," Kara points out.

"How can you tell me something like that off the record? Kara, I have a responsibility to the citizens of National City" Cat counters. "And if this is true, explain to me why isn't the city being evacuated right now?"

"An evacuation would limit the resources available to deal with him. Just trust that I'm doing everything possible to keep National City safe," Kara says staring at the blonde intensely, willing her to just listen to reason.

Cat, unusually speechless, steps in closer to Kara and reaches out to brush a strand of hair from across Kara's face.

Leaning in to the touch, Kara softly says, "Cat, I'm sorry. I have to go now. Please promise me that you will consider leaving town." Then she clasps Cat's hand and rests it on her own chest.

Cat flattens her hand out to better feel the outline of The House of El under her hand and the beat of Kara's heart.

"I'll consider it," Cat says breathlessly, her eyes focused on Kara's.

Kara's breath hitches at the intensity of the look in Cat's eyes and she surges forward crashing their lips and bodies together. Cat moans but before she can wrap her arms around her to deepen the kiss, Kara is gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Supergirl is flying back out to the desert compound, hoping to clear her head of Cat Grant. She didn't mean to kiss her, but as soon as Cat looked into her eyes, Kara couldn't deny it any longer, she is in love with Cat Grant and she's certain that it is mutual. Although any relationship other than what they have now between them would be impossible. Not only would the boundaries between superhero and media mogul constantly be tested, Kara saw how painful it was for Cat to see her leave tonight and the hero can only imagine how much worse it would be for her if they were actually together.

Cat cannot find out about the DEO. And as honest as she's been with Cat over the past few weeks, Kara still hasn't told her everything. It's not that she doesn't trust the woman, she actually trusts her almost as much as she trusts Alex. But still there are some things that Cat is better off not knowing. And the same goes for Alex. Her sister may know her better than anyone but there things that Kara would rather not discuss with Alex, one of those being her feelings for Cat Grant.

Surveying the compound below, Supergirl suddenly hears a small voice pleading for help accompanied by a small erratic heartbeat. Swooping down low and using her x-ray vision she tracks the source to a dilapidated outbuilding. Scanning the building, Supergirl sees that there is a small goat tethered to a post and a speaker overhead. It's a trap she realizes and barely escapes before the explosion rocks the whole area.

"Alex. It was a trap," Supergirl says annoyed.

"I see that," Alex says watching the explosion on the satellite feed. "Be careful that may have just been the first one," she points out.

"You think that there are more?" Supergirl asks.

"You're still alive, so yeah, there are more," Alex remarks."Leave the coms open," she suggests while pacing the room nervously as she hears the wind blowing across the mic telling her that Kara is flying. Alex debates whether to wake up Vasquez yet, since she just laid down a half hour ago.

"There's a weird vibration out here," Supergirl remarks. Then using her x-ray vision she looks through the ground for the source... "Another tunnel... it's a chain react..."

Alex watches the explosion on the screen helplessly.

"Vasquez get up, we've got to move," Alex says rushing into the bunk room to wake up the other agent as she frantically tries to pull up the tracking app to begin tracking Supergirl.

"What happened?" Vasquez asks sleepily.

"The whole compound just exploded and we've got to go find Supergirl," Alex says grabbing their go bags and rushing out of the room.

"Supergirl, I hope that you can hear me. We are on our way," Alex says into her comms.

* * *

The man sitting in the van smiles as he watches his entire compound explode and knock that caped bitch from the sky. Now maybe he can finish this and get rid of Maxwell Lord once and for all, he thinks smugly to himself.

Twenty-five years the man has spent in his underground laboratory trying to understand what happened to him when the lab exploded. He never should have survived the explosion, but he did. And when he woke up and realized what he'd become, he had no choice but to build a secret lab in a remote location until he could figure out what happened. If anyone found out about his molecular changes, he would be put in one of those government labs and studied.

And then there's Maxwell Lord. Raymond should have realized that he couldn't trust Lord. Sending him the research anonymously and asking for him to review it was dangerous, but he thought that the man would seek him out, not take his research and file a new a patent, effectively stealing his family legacy right out from under him.

Well Maxwell Lord will pay for this, Raymond says watching the black helicopters hovering over his destroyed compound looking for Supergirl.

* * *

"Alex, I'm fine. You didn't need to come out here," Supergirl says brushing herself off. "Look I have to go find this guy, he's obviously not coming back here," she adds.

"He's on a suicide mission now," Vasquez points out.

"Pull up the feeds on the area around Lord's lab, look for a van or delivery truck," Alex says watching Vasquez quickly set up the computer.

"Okay, there. That's probably him," Kara says pointing to a vehicle on a side street just outside of the targeted area.

"Supergirl, wait!" Alex says reaching out to stop her.

"Come on we've got to follow her," Alex says hauling herself back into the helicopter.

"We should stay here, monitor the situation. We won't do her any good if we're taken out by the blast Agent Danvers," Vasquez points out.

"I know you're right, but what if she needs assistance?" Alex asks.

"Agent Danvers, we need to talk on a secure line," Hank Henshaw' voice booms into her ear.

"Yes Director," Alex replies pulling out the SatCom out of her pocket and switching it on.

"I'm here with the NCPD task force and it turns out that Lord's patent is based on research that he received anonymously. We think this guy was the source of the research," Hank informs her.

"The whole compound just exploded, he set up a trap for Supergirl and she triggered it. We lost communication with her for a short time, so we came out to help, but she's fine now," Alex explains.

"Where is she now Agent Danvers?" he asks.

"Supergirl is enroute to that location. He's got nothing here to come back to," Alex remarks.

* * *

Raymond knows the police have discovered his vehicle and are quietly surrounding it, but he's not concerned. They can't stop him now.

"Captain, what's this guy wearing? Is that a scuba suit?" Officer Johnson asks, as he pulls the binoculars down and looks over to see Captain Thomas on his phone.

"Not sure, but it doesn't look like it's bomb proof," another officer remarks dryly looking through them at the man in the van.

"We all just need to stand down, Supergirl is enroute and she actually is bomb proof," the captain says hanging up the phone and glancing around to be sure that his team understands how dangerous this guy really is.

Suddenly van door opens and the man climbs out of the vehicle.

"Sir, we have you surrounded. Please put your hands up and face the vehicle," Captain Thomas yells from behind the armored vehicle.

Raymond stands still a moment before removing a glove and slapping his hands onto the side of the van.

The explosion catches everyone off guard and the bomb squad members all duck behind their armored vehicle for protection.

* * *

Alex and Vasquez watch on the screen. "How did he do that?" they ask in unison.

"Hank, are you still there?" Alex asks.

"Yes, we're trying to get a rescue team in there, but the blast was too far away from Lord's lab to have any additional impact," he remarks.

"It doesn't make sense, why would he set it off too far away?" Alex asks Vasquez.

"They had him surrounded," she points out.

"Run the footage back and slow it down," Alex asks.

"Oh my God, that's not possible..." Vasquez replies, rewinding it again to see it again. They watch carefully as the man takes off his glove and then slaps his hands down against the van triggering the explosion. The van is ripped to shreds and debris flies in every direction, but the man is impervious to the blast.

"Hank, he survived the blast and is took off in the direction of Lord's lab," Alex shouts into the sat com phone. "Supergirl? Are you there?" Alex asks.

"I'm going in to help," Supergirl replies.

"The officers are fine, but the bomber is on foot headed to Lord's lab and apparently he's wearing a special suit that makes him bomb proof," Alex informs her.

"Okay, I'm on it," Supergirl answers, surveying the area carefully before spotting the suspect.

"Be careful, Supergirl," Alex cautions.

Using the tracking device, Vasquez zeroes in on Supergirl with the satellite feed and they watch her swoop down and try to grab the man, but he fights her off. He may be old, but he has decent fighting skills. The two struggle a bit more before Supergirl manages to wrap her arms around him tightly, taking off towards the ocean. She wants to get him as far away as possible from National City and Lord's lab.

Just as they get near the ocean, the man renews his efforts to get loose, so Supergirl spots an atoll and drops him on it.

* * *

Back at the police command post, Hank Henshaw is listening intently to Alex's play by play of the struggle between Supergirl and The Detonator.

"Hank, I think this guy is a meta-human. There's no other explanation for him being able to fight like this," Alex proclaims.

"Where are they now?" He asks.

"Approaching the ocean, but she's about to lose her grip on him. I don't think that he can fly, but he may be able to swim," Alex points out.

"I'm going to assist," Hanks replies softly before discretely slipping away and flying off to help the young hero.

* * *

"I'm not going to let you destroy National City," Supergirl informs the man below her.

"You have no idea what I am capable of!" he yells angrily, before removing his glove and punching the ground below him.

The sand erupts in an explosion and the ocean spurts up through the hole, reducing the size of the atoll.

"Hope that you are a strong swimmer," Supergirl remarks before swooping down and shoving him towards the edge of the water.

He stumbles, then regains his footing at the water's edge just in time to grab her cape and pull her down to the atoll.

They stare each other down a moment, before The Detonator rips off both of his gloves and rushes towards her.

She hovers above him just out of his reach. "I know that you're angry with Maxwell Lord, but there's no reason to take it out on the citizens of National City," she yells down to him.

"The citizens of National City don't care about me or my family," The Detonator argues. "They think Maxwell Lord is a god among men, but I will destroy him."

"I'm not going to let you do that," Supergirl reminds him.

Suddenly the man dives into the ocean and begins swimming rapidly towards the shore.

Supergirl takes a deep breath and dives in after him. She goes underneath him and then pops up with him in her arms as she flies them out farther from the shore line. They struggle in the air until finally he lands a punch and it sends her soaring away from him as he falls into the water.

J'onn arrives just in time to see the explosion and as The Detonator falls into the ocean, he realizes that the blast sent Supergirl careening across the sky, he takes off after her.

* * *

At the DEO command center Lucy Lane is directing her team to chart Supergirl's trajectory and locate her as soon as possible.

"Agent Danvers, status on your location," Major Lane barks into her ear.

"We've enabled the geo tracker on Supergirl and we're enroute to her location," Alex replies more calmly than she feels.

"J'onn is also enroute to her location," Lucy advises.

"Copy that," Vasquez acknowledges watching Alex frantically scanning the ocean for any sign of Supergirl.

* * *

In Cat Grant's office, Detective Holly Parker and Cat were watching the scene unfold in front of them courtesy of one of CATCO's news choppers live feed.

"Supergirl is indestructible," Detective Parker reminds the visibly distraught Cat Grant.

"Unless she's unconscious and drowning in the ocean," Cat replies points out.

"This isn't the first time that she's been blown up," Parker counters.

"It's the first time that she's been blown up and fallen into the ocean Detective," Cat counters nervously glancing at her news team coverage, unable to take her eyes off the water, willing Supergirl to surface.


	5. Chapter 5

Cat sits on the balcony outside of her office, hands trembling as she takes a sip of her best scotch. Unable to shake the sight of Supergirl being blown out of the sky, she's waiting as patiently as she can for news that the hero has been located. Detective Parker left several hours ago, promising to call. In the meantime Cat has left several threatening messages for both James Olsen and Lucy Lane, but still there's no word from anyone.

* * *

The Martian surfaces with an unconscious Supergirl under his arm. Taking a moment to get his bearings, he focuses his mind to locate the search team by zeroing in on Agent Danvers.

"The tracker indicates that she's in this area," Alex says, then feeling a sudden focus, she points to the screen, "they're right here," she adds as Vasquez notes the longitude/latitude and relays it to the pilot.

A few minutes later the pilot calls back, "Agent Danvers, we're approaching something in the water."

Alex flings open the side door and swings out onto the step and grabs the line to connect it to her suit.

Vasquez quickly grabs the back of her jumpsuit, "Hold on, Danvers. Director Henshaw has her," the agent replies grabbing the rescue hook from her hands and moving it into position so they can lower it down to him.

"He may need help, I'm going down too," Alex replies grabbing it from her.

"No ma'am, he can bring her up," Vasquez says restraining her again.

Silently, the two agents watch the line feed out. Hank grabs it and loops it under his arm before signaling to Vasquez to haul it up.

Alex can barely contain herself. As soon as they are close enough, she grabs them and pulls them into the chopper.

"Is she breathing?" Vasquez asks as soon they get Supergirl on board.

"Shallow breathes," Alex replies grabbing a stethoscope. "There's water in her lungs," she adds pulling Supergirl up to a sitting position and moving behind her to employ a heimlich style maneuver to expel the water from the hero's lungs.

Suddenly Supergirl coughs and sputters water everywhere, the agents look at each other relieved, but then she collapses again unconscious.

* * *

The text comes from an anonymous number, "Supergirl located. Condition stable. Update soon."

Relieved Cat stands up and stretches before walking across the balcony to gaze out over National City. She wonders how many times Supergirl has saved the city from certain disaster in the past several months. Probably more times than the medial mogul would like to know, she realizes.

Looking out over the city, the face of the young blonde hero confident and smiling passes through Cat's mind replacing her own frown and fear with a light smile and hope.

Cat sighs. That's the whole crux of the issue. Kara Danvers aka Supergirl swooped into the life of a jaded and cynical Cat Grant infecting her with sunny smiles, hope and optimism. Cat's mind goes back to that first moment Kara entered her office, the girl was seemingly unaffected by Cat's gruffness and tough exterior. Right away she knew that she wanted to hire her, needed to hire her. Now here it is two years later and the girl is a goddamn superhero. Cat knew she was special, even as the girl stood telling the Queen of all Media that there was nothing special about her, Cat could sense that there was indeed something special about her.

Turning around Cat closes her eyes and let's the memory of last night's kiss wash over her. The strong arms pulling her close, Cat's fingers tracing the crest on the hero's chest as the soft lips pressed against her own ... the whole experience still reverberates through her body.

* * *

"She's stable, but we're not sure when she'll wake up," Dr Peters replies when she enters the Director's office. "We've set up the extra UV lights to see if it will help her," she adds.

Lucy looks over at Alex, "I'll call Cat and update her," she offers grabbing her phone and stepping out of the office.

"Cat, there's no change and she remains in stable condition," Lucy informs the media mogul.

"Thank you Lucy, now when I can see her?" Cat questions. "I'm not taking no for an answer. I'll sign whatever form is needed, but I need to see her," she adds tiredly. If Lucy didn't know better she would almost think Cat was pleading with her.

"I'll see what I can arrange," Lucy replies before disconnecting the call.

* * *

"I suppose I should be thankful that it was just a blindfold and not a black hood," Cat says sarcastically, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room. "Is this a cave?" she quips.

"You're in a top secret government facility that is partially underground," Alex says entering the room.

"So basically a cave," Cat retorts. "Take me to Supergirl," she adds.

"First we need to talk," Alex says authoritatively.

"Agent Danvers, I realize that there are forms and threats and all of that to sort through, but it can wait," Cat replies angrily. "I-I want to see her first...please," she adds remembering that the agent is Kara's foster sister and probably knows a bit about what has transpired between them.

Noting the softening of Cat's request and realizing that Cat seems genuinely concerned for her sister, Alex relents and turns to leave. "Follow me closely, she's down this hallway," she says over her shoulder.

The medbay door slides open as Alex approaches and she pauses to let Cat pass before her. First she rushes to the hero's bedside and bends down to kiss her forehead before whispering something softly into the hero's ear before pulling back to gaze at her a moment. She looks peaceful and beautiful with her hair spilling out over the pillow. Cat realizes that Alex must have washed and brushed Kara's hair after she was rescued.

"The UV lights help her to heal, but we just ran additional tests which we are analyzing to try to determine why she's unconscious," Alex explains.

"I saw the explosion Agent Danvers, obviously she has a head injury of some kind," Cat snaps. Then carefully asks, "I guess that I don't understand, is her body really that different from ours that you can't use normal screening tests?

"Ms Grant, I am a bioengineer who specializes in alien anatomy. In fact, I know Kryptonian anatomy better than anyone else on the planet," Alex says getting wound up.

"I'm just worried," Cat interrupts, "And I know that you're doing everything you can, I didn't mean to be critical," she adds apologetically.

Alex pauses as she realizes that the woman just apologized to her and Cat Grant isn't someone who apologizes to anyone.

"Well, I'll, uh, let you have a few minutes," Alex says nervously, turning to leave.

* * *

A half hour later, Alex stands just outside the medbay, watching Cat sitting beside Kara on the bed talking to her. Deciding to interrupt, Alex approaches and the door slides open.

Startled, Cat looks up and slowly moves from the bed back to the chair.

"I just wanted you to know that the tests indicate that nothing has changed. I think that she just needs time to recharge," Alex replies offering CAt a cup of coffee. "This is from Major Lane's private stash of coffee, it's drinkable," the agent adds before sitting down in the other chair.

Taking a sip of the coffee before sitting it down on the table, Cat turns to ask, "This has happened before?"

"Yeah, the first time she was blown up by a bomb it knocked her out for a few hours" Alex replies.

"Excuse me, how many times has she been blown up by bombs?" Cat asks.

"Uh, well I'm not sure, but none of the others had the same effect on her as the first one, until now." Alex remarks. "Although, she was only out for a few hours then," she adds thoughtfully.

"Oh wait, she still had her powers when she was knocked out, which would have sped up her recovery time," Alex says going over to the wall and pulling up Kara's chart and pulling out a small notebook to make some notes. "I've been studying her for years, but until I started working here I didn't have the ability to record and test her like I do now and yet, there is still so much that I don't know," she explains.

Cat waits, she can tell that the young woman is on the verge of figuring something out.

"I'll be right back," Alex says disappearing down the hall.

* * *

A few minutes later, Alex returns with Lucy Lane beside her. "Kara will wake up in approximately 18 hours," she says confidently.

"Cat, you should go home and get some rest. I'll take you," Lucy offers.

"No, I'd like to stay. I really want to be here when she wakes up," Cat replies.

"Agent Danvers is confident that she'll wake up tomorrow afternoon, none of us will do her any good if we're exhausted" Lucy points out.

"If I leave, I want to return in ten hours. And I want you to promise to contact me if there is any change of any kind," Cat negotiates with her former attorney.

"We can agree to those terms," Lucy replies glancing over at Alex, who nods.

"Agent Danvers, would you let Director Henshaw know that I'm escorting Ms Grant back to her home," Lucy remarks turning to leave.

* * *

"Major," Vasquez says softly shaking Lucy awake several hours later.

"I'm awake," Lucy says startled from her bunk.

"Ma'am, we have a situation. Director Henshaw asked for you to join him in the office," Vasquez explains.

"Okay," Lucy replies shaking the sleep from her head.

* * *

"The recovery team still hasn't located The Detonator's body?" Lucy asks.

"No Major Lane and there was another boat in the area, it was military," Hank explains.

"So we think that the US Military has recovered the body?" Lucy questions. "Why would they do that?"

"Hank, I just checked on Supergirl and Vasquez said something's up," Alex says entering the office.

"The US Military may have recovered The Detonator's body," Hank replies.

"How did they get it before us?" Alex asks angrily.

"We're not sure, but hopefully our Military liaison will make some calls," Hank suggests glaring at the Major.

"On it," Lucy says abruptly leaving the office.

"How's Supergirl?" Hank asks turning to Alex.

"Her vitals are strong and her respiration has increased, I think she'll wake up in a few hours," Alex answers. "Vasquez is with her now, but I'm heading back to replace her," she says turning to leave.

Crossing the room, Hank places a hand on her arm. "Alex, what are we going to do about Cat Grant," he questions.

"I don't think we need to do anything Hank. She knows about Supergirl and she really seems to care about Kara. We can trust her," Alex says confidently.

"Okay, but I'd rather she not come back out here. We've risked too much exposure as it is," he points out.

"The only way that Major Lane and I could get her to leave was to promise that she could be here when Supergirl wakes up," Alex replies. "We have to bring her back out here. If there's one thing that I've learned from all this, a pissed off Cat Grant is about as dangerous as a helgrammite," she adds dramatically.


	6. Chapter 6

The drive back to the desert compound is a bit uncomfortable, but Alex had insisted on picking Cat up herself. She just didn't expect to find the woman dressed in khakis and tactical shirt. Why would Cat Grant even own a tactical shirt?

"You seem rather confident that she's going to wake up this afternoon," Cat says after clearing her throat and Alex detects a tiny bit of anxiousness.

"Yes, once I factored in the loss of powers and recalculated her usual healing time, I was able to determine approximately how much time that she would need to recover, so give or take an hour or so, she'll wake up soon," Alex explains.

"Thank you for picking me up, but my driver could have saved you part of the trip," Cat points out.

"Well, I was coming in anyway. I wanted to shower and change clothes. My, uh, my mother is coming from Midvale, she'll be there when we arrive," Alex explains.

"Ah, so you're warning me, but only after we're halfway back to the base," Cat points out.

"I didn't think it would deter you from wanting to be there when she wakes up," Alex counters.

"You're right. It doesn't," Cat replies quickly.

"She'll want to meet you, but don't worry, my Mom doesn't really care who we date, just that we're happy," Alex says glancing over at Cat.

"We're not dating," Cat says defensively. Then softening she adds, "Of course, you know that. She's probably told you everything."

"I doubt that she's told me everything, my sister is a really private person. But she has told me enough to know that you both care for each other and it's obviously more than professionally," Alex points out.

"It's complicated," Cat says laughing at the irony of Cat Grant uttering such a cliched expression.

"It always is," Alex replies glancing over at her curiously.

"May I ask, how do you do it?" Cat asks suddenly.

"It's not easy. It's horrible actually," Alex blurts out. "But she's worth it. She has the body of a warrior but the heart of a hero. Her love for her family and friends has no limits. I can't even remember what my life was like before she came into it. I'm sure that it seemed full, but now everything I do has a purpose. Because it helps her and she saves the world. I went to university to be a scientist and now I'm a trained field operative for a para-military organization. I've contained and restrained alien life forms from all over the galaxy. Not bad for bio engineer, huh?" She adds.

"Do you ever regret it?" Cat asks softly. "Do you worry that one day you are going to look back at your life and realize all that you've sacrificed for her."

"Never," Alex replies. "My life is full and interesting in ways that I never thought were possible. She is the one who has really sacrificed. Her parents sent her to a new planet when she was just a child. My parents tried to give her a normal childhood and she tried to live an ordinary life, but it wasn't possible, because she's not ordinary. She is extraordinary in so many ways and once you see it, you can't unsee it," she adds flashing a grin.

* * *

"Uh, Mom this is Cat Grant," Alex says introducing Cat when Eliza appears in the doorway of the Medbay to greet her daughter.

"Ms Grant, Kara's Ms Grant? Well, it's great to finally meet you. Kara has told me so much about you," Eliza says greeting her with a hug.

"Cat is fine and I can just imagine, what's she's told you," Cat replies uncomfortably.

"Cat you mean a lot to her," Eliza replies giving Cat's hand a squeeze.

"Thank you," Cat says and the two women gravitate to the side of the bed to gaze at the sleeping hero.

"I can see where she gets her warmth and compassion," Cat says softly glancing over at Eliza.

"That's all her, she changed all of us. Her warmth and compassion is infectious, Alex and I think it's pheromones," Eliza replies with a straight face.

Cat isn't sure if the woman is joking or not, since she and her daughter are both bio-engineers, it seems like a plausible explanation for why Cat herself has changed so much in the two years that Kara's been her assistant.

"Mom, Kryptonian pheromones don't work on humans, we've already discussed this," Alex chides.

"Alex, we don't know everything yet about Kryptonian physiology, their pheromones could work differently on our planet, atmospheric changes, biometrics and..." Eliza replies getting wound up.

"Agree to disagree," Alex says quickly.

Cat suppresses a smile, noting that this must be a regular source of discourse between the two women.

"I'm still working on this and I'm going to prove it to you," Eliza quips.

"Fine, present your findings and then we can discuss it," Alex says, "but until then, let's not bore civilians with our science talk." Then turning to Cat she adds, "Sorry, this is normal discourse at our house."

"Alex, you're fortunate that you can even have this type of discussion with your mother," Cat replies. "I don't recall the last civil disagreement that I had with my mother. Let alone ending one with 'agree to disagree', I may try that next time," Cat says chuckling to herself.

"What does your mother do?" Eliza asks.

"She's an author," Cat replies.

"Ah, so you followed in her footsteps," Eliza remarks.

"Not in her opinion. She says that my talk show was self-indulgent; my media empire, a desperate attempt to be relevant; and none of my books count as real literature, since they are not fiction," Cat explains.

"Wow, and I thought my mother was a tough critic," Eliza exclaims. "May I give you another hug, it will make me feel better," she says laughing as she wraps an arm around her.

"Hey, hey..." Alex says noticing Supergirl beginning to stir, she pushes past the two women and pulls out her stethoscope to check the patient's respiration and heart rate herself.

Eliza slips around to the other side of the bed, "Kara," she says softly. "Kara, it's Eliza, honey wake up."

"Hmm," Kara mumbles as her eyes flutter.

The three women exchange relieved glances, exhaling at the same time, none realizing they were holding their breath.

Cat presses her hands to her face in anticipation of finally seeing those beautiful blue eyes again.

"What are you doing here?" Kara asks once she's had a chance to wake up and adjust her eyes to look around.

Eliza is about to respond, when she realizes the question isn't her's to answer.

"I-I was worried about you, you almost drowned," Cat replies hesitantly.

"Alex why don't we let them have a minute," Eliza says resting an arm on her daughter's shoulder.

"Sure, but Kara. You've been out for 28 hours, so take it easy. You're not even close to being recharged yet," Alex cautions.

Kara nods. She's still confused to wake up and see Eliza, Alex and Cat Grant beside her bed. "Wow, 28 hours. No wonder you're all here," she says softly. "I'm sorry that you were worried," she adds.

"There's nothing for you to apologize for, you did it. You stopped him and you saved National City," Cat says moving closer to the bed and taking the girl's hand.

"I can't believe that you're here. How did you talk Hank into letting you come to the DEO?" Kara asks watching Cat play with her fingers. Noting that this is the first time that she's ever seen Cat Grant nervous like this.

"Well, first off I have no idea where I am. Not only do I have no idea what the DEO is, this is the first that I've heard about it and although I've been out here twice now in 24 hours, I have no idea where I am. They uh, they made me wear a blindfold in and out," Cat explains.

Kara smiles. "I'm surprised that you tolerated that," she teases.

"Yes, me too," Cat admits, "but the alternative was to go crazy wondering if you were okay, so the lesser of two evils," she points out, offering a small smile and intertwining their fingers again.

"Thank you for being here," Kara says softly, "And I'm sorry that I worried you," she adds.

"No. Don't do that, don't apologize Kara. This is what you do, it's who you are," Cat replies.

"I know, but I still feel guilty that you've been worried about me," Kara explains.

* * *

"So what is the plan?" Cat asks stepping out into the hallway with Alex and Eliza.

"Her powers will be out for another 24 hours, but last time we left her alone when her powers were out she broke her arm, so we wondered if you would take her home with you and we'll come get her later," Alex asks.

"Oh, yes. Of course, she can come home with me. But does she need anything special?" Cat asks.

"A lot of food," Alex replies.

"Okay, I'll call and have the concierge stock my pantry," Cat says turning to get on her phone.

"Maybe I should make a list," Alex suggests, pulling out a pad of paper and making some notes.

"I have a teenage son; I just order what I usually order when he has friends over," Cat says confidently.

Wordlessly Alex hands her the paper.

"You're kidding right?" Cat asks looking at the small brunette, who shakes her head slowly.

"Cat, Kara eats about ten thousand calories a day," Eliza pipes up.

"She couldn't possibly," Cat blurts out.

"Trust us, we've lived with her," they reply in unison.

* * *

"Are you sure that you are comfortable?" Cat asks for the third time.

"Cat, relax. If I need anything I'm capable of getting it for myself," Kara exclaims. "I know that you probably have a thousand emails to go through. I still can't believe that you agreed to work from home and babysit me. It's not necessary, you could just go to work today and I could go back to my place."

"No, I told your sister that I would stay with you, and it's not a problem. But I'm not used to having someone recuperating from anything other than a hangover," Cat replies, her eyes glued to her computer, but Kara notices the small smile that plays across her face.

"Was that a joke?" Kara teases.

"It was," Cat says still reading her emails.

Kara laughs happily and can't help but smile as she watches Cat intently focused on her work.

"So tell me...how bad is it?" Kara questions curled up on the lounge chair across from her.

"Supergirl needs a publicist," Cat remarks. Then considering it, she adds, "I should hire one for her."

"No, that's crazy. You don't need to do that Cat. I'm perfectly capable of hiring a publicist for Supergirl," Kara remarks.

"Okay, but do you have any idea how much money that we make from licensing Supergirl?" Cat jokes.

"Well, now that you mention it. Maybe CATCO should pay for the publicist, it's your fault that I need one," Kara teases.

"Actually, I've already set up a blind trust account for the Supergirl licensing," Cat counters, so we'll pay the publicist from that account.

"Really?" Kara asks surprised.

"Yes and after your latest save, your merchandise is going to fly off the shelves, trust me you can afford a publicist," Cat remarks.

* * *

"Kara," Cat sits on the edge of the chair gently trying to wake her from what appears to be a bad dream. Finally, Cat grabs her hands and pulls them to her. "Kara." She says more firmly and the blue eyes flutter open.

"Oh," Kara exclaims pulling her hands away. "Sorry, I was just dreaming, I guess."

"You don't know if you were dreaming?" Cat asks.

"Well, I thought that I was back on Krypton and my Mom and my aunt were arguing and I wanted them to stop," Kara explains. "It was a memory though, not a dream," she adds.

"Dreams can be based on memories," Cat points out, reaching over and tucking a strand of hair behind Kara's ear.

"Oh," Kara says thoughtfully. "You look beautiful... I like this casual and relaxed version of Cat Grant," she adds.

"You're changing the subject," Cat remarks.

"We should talk," Kara replies.

"We are talking," Cat retorts, "and you're changing the subject again," she adds.

"I kissed you," Kara says, "I wasn't sure that I'd see you again, so I kissed you."

"Ah, so you do remember," Cat remarks, shaking her head and pulling back.

"Wait, are you upset?" Kara asks suddenly worried.

Cat stands up and walks away from her.

Kara throws off the blanket and goes to her. Noticing the shudder in her shoulders, Kara wraps her arms around her from behind. "I'm sorry," she whispers into her hair.

Cat turns to face her, hating that she's crying. "I didn't think I was going to see you again and I had to watch that fight and then the explosion and then you were gone," she recounts angrily, punctuating each part with soft blow to Kara's chest.

Grabbing Cat's hands, Kara pulls her close and kisses her.

Cat pulls away, "Kara, I can't do this. It was too hard to watch you fly off, not knowing if you would be back," she explains.

"But I came back," Kara protests. "I will always come back," she promises.

"That's not something that you can promise," Cat replies.

"No one can promise it and mean it like I can Cat," Kara points out, reaching for her again and pulling her face up so she can look into her eyes. "I love you," she adds.

* * *

"Everything feels different with you today. I don't think that I realized how much that you hold back," Cat says sitting up to face her. Kara has spent the afternoon, watching tv, while Cat has tried to work from the dining room table. But every time that she enters the living room to check on Kara, the girl pulls her down on to the couch and kisses her. Somehow Cat has managed to get some work done, but all she wants to do is stay on the couch making out with this girl.

"Cat, I have to if I don't want to hurt you," Kara remarks, intertwining their fingers together. "And that's part of what has made today so amazing," she adds.

"Kara we haven't done anything. You've watched tv all day and I've worked... how is that amazing?" Cat asks distracted by Kara's fingers trailing down her arm.

"Cat, that's just it. I don't have the opportunity to just relax like this. Watching tv is really challenging because with super senses, the world is always there in the background competing with everything else. But today everything has been silent, except for the tv and your fingers flying across your keyboard. I think that you may type almost as fast as I do, by the way."

"Kara, I'm so sorry. Working in the bullpen must have been excruciating for you," Cat realizes suddenly. "How did you do it?"

"You. I focused on you. Your breathing, your heartbeat, I used it to center me. At home it's Alex who centers me, but at work it's you," Kara admits embarrassed.

"That's how you always knew before I did what I needed? Oh wait, you can monitor my heartbeat?" Cat asks realizing exactly what that means. "So you've always known!" she exclaims hitting Kara on the shoulder.

"What's with all the hitting today? I can feel that you know!" Kara teases as she rubs her shoulder feigning pain.

Cat shakes her head. "I've never fooled you even once, have I?" she asks.

"At the Supergirl launch party, when you first saw me in the green dress, that's when I realized that you were attracted to me the same as I was to you, but then you were sarcastic and mean, which confused me and made me doubt it," Kara explains.

"The first time I called you Supergirl on the balcony when you were Kara, surely you knew that I was dying to kiss you," Cat points out.

"Yes, but you had several drinks that night and I couldn't, not when you couldn't properly consent," Kara counters.

"I wasn't drunk Kara, I could still consent," Cat remarks. "Wait, you don't know the difference because alcohol doesn't affect you," she adds understanding now why the hero was overly cautious.

"I could get drunk now though. I have no powers," Kara replies with a grin.

"No, that is not a good idea," Cat replies. And I should fix dinner for us, do you think that Eliza and Alex would like to join us?" she asks looking up at her.

"I don't think that I'm ready for all of that," Kara replies. "In fact, I kind of don't want to leave just yet," she adds.

"You don't have to leave, although I do have to go into the office tomorrow," Cat reminds her.

"Hmm, I'll just call and let Alex know that she and Eliza can geek out all night over my medical records," Kara says laughing and picking up her phone.

"I'll start dinner," Cat says standing up to leave, only to have Kara pull her back down and kiss her.

"Suddenly this seems like a really bad idea," Cat exclaims smiling at her.

* * *

"I don't understand what's supposed to happen," Kara replies after her second glass of whisky.

"Well, that's all you get. You had wine with dinner and now against my better judgement two glasses of whisky. If you're not feeling it now, then you are not going to," Cat points out.

"Maybe it's my alien metabolism," Kara adds stumbling over the word metabolism.

"No, I think that you're feeling it, you just don't know it. Stand up," Cat demands.

Kara almost falls over trying to stand up. "I don't like this, why do you want to feel this way?" she asks confused.

"I don't, it's just that... you know earlier when you said that your super senses make it difficult for you to focus. I may not have super senses, but I do get overwhelmed and overstimulated and that's why I drink, it helps to calm everything down sometimes, it doesn't always work though," Cat says trying to explain.

"Oh," Kara says sitting back down. "Maybe I should lie down now though," she says eyeing the lounge chair.

"No don't even think about it. You will not sleep out here like a street urchin, come inside and sleep in the bed," Cat says taking her hand and pulling her up.

"Can we sleep together?" Kara asks.

"That's a bad idea," Cat gasps as Kara pulls her close and slides her hands up under her blouse. "And that's worse," she adds pulling away. "Guest room for you," she says firmly turning her around and pushing her through the french doors into the living room.

"No," Kara says defiantly, turning back around to face her. "No, I'm not sleeping alone tonight. This is the first time that I have a chance to sleep like a normal person and I want to feel you beside me. I promise to sleep, please Cat," she pleads.

"Well, as long as you face away from me and no cuddling, I don't know how much more I can take," Cat remarks sharply. Then seeing Kara's face fall, she adds. "Darling, it's just that being around you like this, it's difficult to hold back. I guess that I'm getting a taste of what you go through every day."

"You don't ever have to hold back," Kara says dropping her head, attempting to kiss her again.

Cat holds up her hand and pushes her back. "No, I do because you've been drinking and I question your ability to properly consent," she points out. "Now go into the guest room and get ready for bed, there are night clothes in that closet that should fit you and everything else that you'll need is in the bathroom.

"Just give me fifteen minutes to get ready and I'll meet you in there," Cat says pointing to her own bedroom.


End file.
